A state champion, a basketball star, a Varsity letterman, an all-state and all-district player, and, later in life, a Christian mentor and true man for others. Not many men have worn the navy and gold of the Jesuit Rangers with as much pride, love, and commitment as did Jerry Taliaferro ’63, one of this year’s esteemed Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame Inductees.
Taliaferro’s Catholic schooling did not start at Jesuit, but rather, at a much younger age. He started his education in 1951 as a
small boy at Holy Ghost Catholic School in Belair, Texas. After a few years at Holy Ghost, Jerry and his family moved closer to the city, where he attended other Catholic diocesan schools, such as St. Bernard’s. He finished up middle school at St. Pius X and, in 1959, enrolled at Jesuit High School in Dallas.
Although he attended the same fine establishment that over 1,000 young men currently call home, the Jesuit of Taliaferro’s youth was not the Jesuit of today. In fact, the school itself was not even in the same building: the campus would not move from its Oak Lawn roots into its new Inwood Rd. home until Jerry was a freshman in college. He attended the old Dallas Jesuit and, thus, received a high school experience very different from current Jesuit Rangers.
Throughout his high school career, Taliaferro relished his time at Jesuit, creating close, life-long friendships and making lasting memories. But Jerry made his biggest mark on the basketball court. Instead of playing on the beautiful hardwood floors of today’s Jesuit, he played on “the old 5th floor gym” with “no windows… no air conditioning and no heating.” Despite the less-than-ideal gym, Mr. Taliaferro “always loved [playing Jesuit basketball],” calling it one of his “favorite” memories of his high school experience.
While at Jesuit, he also met “his dearest friend,” fellow basketball player Ed Osdick ’62. Together Jerry and his close friend played on the 1962 Jesuit Rangers basketball team, winning the State Championship together.
Average height, Taliaferro “never got too close to the basket,” preferring to make his impact from long-range. Taliaferro has been described by his former teammates as “a basketball superstar,” who hit many clutch shots while playing as a Ranger. His excellence in shooting and his leadership on the very successful team earned Jerry All-District and All-State honors as a senior.
Praised not only for his individual achievement, but also, for his leadership of the team, Jerry led the Jesuit Rangers to yet another TCIL state championship. Despite his proficiency on the floor, he never compromised athleticism for academics, receiving endless accolades for his classroom achievement as a Jesuit student. Throughout his high school year, Jerry formed himself into a well-rounded individual, into a consummate man for others.
When asked about how Jesuit shaped his identity as a man for others, Mr. Taliaferro succinctly noted that Jesuit instilled in him “the importance of working hard and sticking to something and being disciplined.” Although this hard work is evident through his prolific high school basketball career, it also proved true for his life outside of Jesuit.
Mr. Taliaferro graduated from Jesuit in 1963 and enrolled at Regis College, a small Jesuit college in Colorado where he was recruited to play college basketball. Jerry played for Regis for two years and then decided to transfer to DePaul University in Chicago, graduating in 1967.
After college, he moved back to Texas and took up a job as a basketball coach at Corpus Christi Catholic High School. Although he had walked away from playing his favorite sport, Taliaferro was keenly dedicated to teaching the next generation the lessons of hard work, discipline, and accountability that Jesuit had imparted on him years before.
After coaching in Corpus Christi for a few years, Mr. Taliaferro coached at several other schools around the Houston and Dallas areas, including St. Thomas Catholic High School in Houston and Bishop Lynch High School, Jesuit’s cross-Dallas rival. Despite his deep Jesuit roots, Taliaferro loved teaching and shaping the young athletes at Bishop Lynch. In fact, Taliaferro served as Athletic Director at Bishop Lynch from 1973-1978.
Throughout his life, as a star basketball player, coach, and Catholic mentor, Jerry Taliaferro exemplified the true meaning of Men for Others through his words and actions. By always distinguishing “what is right from what is wrong,” and by truly living out his Catholic beliefs, Jerry Taliaferro was able to affect the lives of hundreds of Catholic high-school students, especially basketball players.
Jerry’s positive attitude not only affected his students and players, but also hit home with his own son. David Taliaferro, a graduate of Churchill High School in San Antonio and the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY, took up his father’s message and example of being a “Man for Others,” by joining the Marines and fighting in the war in Afghanistan.
Jerry’s playing career, coaching career, and fantastic life achievements will all be recognized in his induction into the Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame.
Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Taliaferro ’63
Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: John Murphy ’70
Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: Adrian Winnubst ’81
Jesuit Sports Hall of Fame Inductee: T. J. Hansen ’01
Pat Schnitzius ’45 Grabs John F. Campbell Fan of the Year Honor
Gold R anger Award Winner – Mike Boeding ’60
Rev. Philip Postell Distinguished Service Award: John Schmeltz ’74
